Mariners Rough Up Yankees Again Manto’s Pinch-Hit Home Run Provides Spark For 7-4 Victory In The Kingdome

Until the sixth inning Tuesday, Jeff Manto’s only real contribution to a Seattle team he joined on July 26 was walking outside the clubhouse when he wanted a smoke.

“I know a lot of guys don’t like it,” Manto said, “so I sneak ‘em outside.”

They still may not, though the Mariners may be a lot more accepting of the man if not the habit after Manto’s pinch-hit home run turned a game Seattle seemed destined to lose into a game the New York Yankees couldn’t believe they lost.

Manto’s three-run home run - his first significant swing in 54 at-bats for Seattle - brought Seattle from behind and triggered a 7-4 victory over the Yankees in front of a Kingdome crowd of 32,975.

In victory, Seattle slid closer to Texas in the American League West (6-1/2 games out) and deeper into the drive for a wild card berth.

Shut out for five innings by Kenny Rogers, the Mariners had one single heading into the sixth and trailed, 4-0.

Then they got even, they got a lead - and they got mad.

Rich Amaral opened the bottom of the sixth with his first home run of the season, the ninth of his major league career, Alex Rodriguez doubled and with one out, Edgar Martinez singled to cut the lead to 4-2.

Ex-Mariner Jeff Nelson replaced Rogers, and Jay Buhner beat out an infield single.

Then the managers threw a flurry of moves at one another. Piniella sent Doug Strange up to pinch-hit for Brian Hunter, Torre countered by replacing Nelson with left-handed pitcher Graeme Lloyd and Piniella sent up Manto.

On paper, it was hardly a brilliant move - Manto was batting .258 against left-handed pitchers, but just .170 overall for Seattle, and just .115 over his last 26 at-bats.

Manto homered into the stands beyond the left-center field fence, and the Mariners led, 5-4.

“Last year we needed career years from everybody and we got them,” Buhner said. “We won despite losing Junior for half a season. This year we’ve lost Randy and Junior and Edgar - if we’re going to win again, we’re going to have to get contributions from everybody.”

So Amaral homered. Manto homered. And newcomer Jamie Moyer (11-2) won for the fourth time in six starts for Seattle despite not having his best night.

Had it stopped there, it might have been an entertaining enough night for that partisan crowd.

It didn’t.

When Amaral led off the seventh inning, Graeme threw a fastball at his head - one that nearly got Amaral even though he’d backed out of the box during Graeme’s windup.

Clearly angered by that pitch, Amaral, who walked, proceeded to steal second base, then third, setting a career single-season high (22) in the process and triggering a two-run rally in which the Mariners didn’t get a hit.